# anti-biotics really necessary after minor surgery?

**URL:** <https://boards.straightdope.com/t/anti-biotics-really-necessary-after-minor-surgery/743647>\
**Category:** In My Humble Opinion\
**Created:** [January 20, 2016, 2:06am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/anti-biotics-really-necessary-after-minor-surgery/743647 "2016-01-20T02:06:18Z")\
**Posts on this page:** 3\
**Page:** 2

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**Author:** ![LSLGuy](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/lslguy/32/5813_2.png) [@LSLGuy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/LSLGuy)\
**Post date:** [January 21, 2016, 4:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/anti-biotics-really-necessary-after-minor-surgery/743647/21 "2016-01-21T16:43:58Z")

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Sounds like a lot of people upthread are using the word “antibiotic” when they mean “antiseptic” or “disinfectant”.

The common pre-surgical skin prep called betadine is an example of an antiseptic which is not an antibiotic. As a crude ROT, antibiotics are slow-acting (hours to days) whereas antiseptics are fast acting (seconds to minutes). Antiseptics are always local, whereas antibiotics can be local or more commonly systemic.

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**Author:** ![elfkin477](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/a9a28c/32.png) [@elfkin477](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/elfkin477)\
**Post date:** [January 27, 2016, 2:22am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/anti-biotics-really-necessary-after-minor-surgery/743647/22 "2016-01-27T02:22:48Z")

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> [@t-bonham@scc.net](#):
>
> I think mine was pretty close.
> 
> The night before, they had me shower, then rub my entire body with antiseptic towelettes and then stand and air dry. The next morning, another wipedown with more towelettes. Then the nurses started scrubbing on me. So it was pretty close!

Yeah, but only for a little while. What happens when your bandages get changed?

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**Author:** ![Tim\_T-Bonham.net](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/46a35a/32.png) [@Tim\_T-Bonham.net](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Tim_T-Bonham.net)\
**Post date:** [January 27, 2016, 3:54am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/anti-biotics-really-necessary-after-minor-surgery/743647/23 "2016-01-27T03:54:54Z")

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> [@elfkin477](#):
>
> Yeah, but only for a little while. What happens when your bandages get changed?

They weren’t ever changed.  
They were on me when I came out of the Operating Room, and stayed there, unchanged, all that day. The next day the doctor removed them & checked out the site, and just left them off, and told me I could go home that afternoon.

The incision had no external stitches; they said it was glued together. When I went home, there were no dressings or bandage on it. I was told to wash it, but not to soak it underwater (no baths). Seems to have healed up fine. And they didn’t even put me on any antibiotic pills at all. So they seem to have done a good job of keeping it sterile.

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